1. What was the cost of the new traffic lighted junction and drainage works on the A39 outside of Bideford at the Buckleigh Road junction?
Devon County Council do not hold this information because the costs are within the overall North Devon Link Road Project (NDLR). It is anticipated that the total spend is likely to be in the region of £1,013,139 for Buckleigh
Junction.
2. What was the justification to add/improve the drainage at this junction? Why only limited to this location on this stretch of road?
This junction improvement forms part of the overall NDLR project and therefore seeks to achieve the associated objectives and benefits. For this particular junction the scheme was funded by the Department of Transport (DfT) to improve safety and capacity and to deal with the increased level of turning vehicles as a consequence of developments further into Westward Ho!. The scheme did not seek to improve the drainage at the location, albeit changes had to be made to the drainage to cater for the introduction of kerbing and the widening of the general carriageway area. Since the carriageway surface water could no longer run off into the french drains, gullies had to be introduced which have been connected into the original system.
The County Council also took the opportunity to repair and clear the existing system of any blockages as part of this overall improvement.
It should be noted that the DfT places strict restrictions on their Capital funding which would not allow the County Council to use the money to fund other schemes anywhere else on the highway network.
We are aware of other drainage issues along this section of the A39. They are being investigated with a view to addressing them as part of our normal highway maintenance work alongside the major NDLR project.